Believe it or not, jaw pain following a car accident is extremely common and oftentimes associated with whiplash injuries. Often, following a car accident, people complain of personal injuries including temporomandibular joint or TMJ pain.

The TMJs are located where the jaw connects to your skull on both sides of the face and allows for the opening and closing of the jaw as well as the side-to-side movement of the jaw.

In a car accident, when a motor vehicle is struck from behind and the occupant’s head is violently thrust forwards and backwards, the impact of the car accident may force the jaw to hyper-extend forward and backwards causing injury to the TMJs.

When the TMJs are injured in a car accident, individuals will often experience popping, clicking, and pain at the joints and jaw, chronic facial pain, earaches, headaches, difficulty talking and difficulty chewing. In severe cases, the TMJs may require jaw surgery.

TMJ injuries resulting from a car accident are often treated by way of specialized dental therapy, splint therapy, physiotherapy, medications, and electrical nerve stimulation.

While jaw injuries at the TMJs that are sustained in a car accident and resolve in a relatively short time frame may be capped under the amendments made to the Minor Injury Regulation in 2018, chronic jaw pain and dysfunction and structural damage to the bone and teeth may not be captured by the Minor Injury Regulation.

If you have suffered jaw pain or dysfunction amongst other personal injuries as a result of a car accident, contact a knowledgeable lawyer at Law Fifty One LLP to see what options may be available to you in order to claim compensation.